The UNO flags will be lowered to half-staff today, May 12, to honor UNO retiree Thomas Watt who passed away last week at the age of 67.

Watt, a laboratory storekeeper in the Chemistry Department, retired in 2003 after 27 years of service to the university.

Funeral services were held May 6 in Omaha.

myMail Brown Bag Lunch Demonstrations Offered

Information Technology Services (ITS) will upgrade myMail (Lotus Notes) to version 8.0 in June. To prepare for this new version, ITS is offering a variety of opportunities for faculty and staff to learn more about Lotus Notes 8.

Brown Bag Lunch Demonstrations - All sessions will cover the same material and all faculty and staff are welcome to attend. No registration is required for these sessions.

Documentation - Additional resources have been added to http://mymail.unomaha.edu to familiarize users with this upgrade. The Lotus Notes 8 Upgrade Information module is located in the center of the page. myMail FAQ's (Version 8) can be found on the "Help Tab."

The UNO Faculty Senate will meet Wednesday, May 14, in the Milo Bail Student Center Dodge Rooms. The meeting will begin at 2:15 p.m. All are invited to attend.

For more information, contact Scott Tarry at 554.3190 or Sue Bishop at 554.3598.

Safety Notice for On-campus Incidents

With the start of the summer semester Campus Security would like to remind the campus community about emergency procedures at UNO. The following information from Campus Security outlines the university's safety and emergency procedures, along with other services provided by Campus Security.

Faculty and staff can call 911 directly, but also should notify Campus Security to help coordinate the response and expedite travel to the emergency scene. Emergency information provided by the caller should include the building, floor, room number, call back number and nature of the emergency.

Evacuations
Faculty and staff should assist with room and building evacuations, and be aware of those needing special assistance. All employees should become familiar with the designated rally points for their buildings, which are listed in the back of the telephone directory under "Emergency Procedures."

Personal Threats and Harassment
Disruptive behavior on campus will not be tolerated. Threats or acts of violence should be reported to Campus Security and to employee supervisors. If the act appears to represent an immediate threat or harm to the individual, it should be reported at once to Campus Security or 911.

Personal Escorts
The escort service is available 24-7 for individuals on campus. Contact Campus Security to arrange for an escort.

Personal Safety Checks
Individuals who may be working alone outside normal working hours are encouraged to contact Campus Security. Security officers will periodically check on individuals' safety while they are on campus.

Personal Property
The university is not responsible for personal property. Individuals are responsible for safeguarding their own property. Loss of personal property should be reported to Campus Security.

Alert System
An on-campus system to help facilitate emergency communications has been installed on the Dodge, Pacific and Center locations. Announcements are distributed from Campus Security to building public address systems or speakers located in building corridors. When announcements are made, strobe lights will flash to notify the hearing impaired to seek assistance.

The system is particularly helpful during tornado warnings. The announcement will alert building occupants to seek shelter and, again later, when the warning has ended. The alert system also can be used to announce university closings, confirm evacuations for fire or chemical release, or other emergency conditions.

Text Messaging System
An off-site text-messaging system provided by e2Campus is also available. The system sends instant alerts directly to registered subscribers' e-mail accounts and mobile phones via SMS text messages. Wireless personal digital assistants and BlackBerry devices can also be used.

The notification system is used to communicate any potential emergency, such as a snow delay or closing, other weather warnings, homeland security advisories, gas leak notifications and fire or crime watches.

More information on campus emergency procedures can be found online at http://emergency.unomaha.edu/ or in the UNO Employee Telephone Directory beginning on page 122. For more information about Campus Security procedures related to campus emergencies, contact Stan Schleifer at 554.3596 or Paul Kosel at 554.2648.

Summer Motorcycle Parking Notice

Additional seasonal motorcycle parking is available for faculty, staff and students through Friday, Aug. 22. Motorcycles may be parked at the following locations on the Dodge, Pacific and Center Street campuses:

- Southwest corner of Lot 2 (north of The University of Nebraska Peter Kiewit Institute); and

- West of the dome in Lot 20 (Center Street Location).

For more information, contact Campus Security at 554.2648.

Convenience Store Closes for MBSC Renovations

Two minor renovation projects begin today, May 12, in the Milo Bail Student Center (MBSC) impacting the Convenience Store and the first level south entrance.

The Convenience Store is scheduled to be closed for two weeks as new paint and floor covering materials are installed. Bottled beverages will be available in the second floor Food Court area.

The first level south entrance will partially close as new carpet materials are installed. The east half of the entrance will be closed first to allow for demolition of existing carpet and installation of new materials. The west half of this entrance will close after work is completed on the east section. The east area will be open for access to the building as work continues on the west section. This work is expected to be completed by Saturday, May 17.

Signage will be posted around both project areas. For additional information or concerns, contact Ed Svajgl at 554.2500.

ASH Central Elevator Undergoes Repairs

Starting today, May 12, through Friday, Aug. 15, the central elevator in Arts and Sciences Hall will undergo an upgrade and will be out of service. The southwest elevator will continue to provide service between floors one and three. There will be no elevator service to the fourth floor during this period.

Facilities Management and Planning staff apologize for any inconvenience; however, the work is necessary to bring the elevator up to code.

Questions and concerns can be directed to Walt Burr at 960.9819.

Elmwood Park Lower Road Closure Reminder

The city of Omaha will resurface the Elmwood Park lower road today, May 12, at 8 a.m. Due to the narrow width, the road will be closed to all traffic. The intersection of University Drive South and University Drive East will remain open.

The project is expected to last four days. For updates, visit http://www.unomaha.edu/parking. For more information, contact Campus Security at 554.2648.

Summer Permit Parking Available in Church Lot

UNO employees with faculty/staff parking permits can park in the St. Margaret Mary's Church parking lot at 6116 Dodge St. this summer. Parking will be available there in UNO-designated lots beginning today, May 12, through Friday, Aug. 22.

During the fall and spring semesters, parking at this location is limited to student permit holders. Night-only permits will not be honored until after 12:30 p.m.

For more information, contact Campus Security at 554.2648.

Cost of Postage Stamps Increases

UNO Mail Services staff would like to remind the campus community of the recent postage rate increase, in which the postal rate commission approved a one-cent price hike for first-class mail stamps.

"On Monday, May 12, the cost will be increased from 41-cents to 42-cents for first-class mail stamps," said Sandy Walling, manager of UNO Mail Services. "One-cent stamps will be available for customers to use with their 41-cent stamps at Mail Services."

One-cent stamps will not be available until the date the postage rate hike takes effect. Customers can continue to use the "forever stamps" they purchased prior to May 12 at 41 cents, even after the price change. Mail Services also has "forever stamps" in stock for purchase, which will always be valid as first-class postage on standard envelopes weighing one ounce or less, regardless of any subsequent increases in the first-class rate.

The University Committee for the Advancement of Teaching (UCAT) invites faculty applications to attend a national-level conference on the scholarship of teaching and learning to be held in Omaha, June 4-7.

E-mail applications directed to Alice Woll addressing the main points of the 2007-08 Designated Conference Application form available at http://www.unomaha.edu/ucat/grants.php will be quickly reviewed for funding of the $350 conference registration fee.

Creighton University will host the 2008 National Carnegie Academy for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning (CASTL) Institute: Developing Scholars of Teaching and Learning. Richard Gale, CASTL consulting scholar, has described the institute as "the vanguard campus training program for faculty committed to the scholarly investigation of student learning."

The 2008 Institute theme, "Professional Dispositions and Values," encourages exploration of the attributes, values and habits of mind that allow reflective inquiry. Conference details are available at http://www2.creighton.edu/castl2008. A summary of last year's CASTL conference experience by UNO attendees is available at the UCAT Web site listed above.